Dr. Cara Marshall has been named founding director of Lowell Community Health Center’s planned family medicine residency program. (Courtesy Lowell Community Health Center)
February marks American Heart Month, a crucial time to focus on a topic we sometimes overlook: the importance of heart care. Heart health isn’t just a concern for older adults; It’s something everyone, regardless of age or ethnicity, should think about. Even small changes can really help your heart. As the month of February comes to an end, let’s make a promise to take better care of our hearts.
Understanding heart health
Our heart is incredible. It beats around 100,000 times a day and pumps blood through miles of blood vessels – enough to circle the Earth more than twice! But we often ignore what we need to stay healthy, like eating right and exercising. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers tips for keeping your heart in good shape. You can find them on hearttruth.govbut here is a brief summary:
8 steps to a healthy heart
Sleep well: Try to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Good sleep helps reduce the risk of heart disease. Follow a regular sleep schedule, avoid caffeine late in the day, and make your bedroom a quiet place.
Eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight: Eating well and maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent heart disease. Choose healthy snacks, drink plenty of water and move more. Pay attention to what you eat to better understand your habits.
Move more: Aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. Simple things like taking the stairs or going for short walks add up. It’s good for your heart.
Stop smoking: Quitting smoking is difficult but so important for your heart. There are people and groups who can help you quit smoking.
Monitor your health numbers: Eating well and staying active helps control your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, it’s especially important to work with your primary care clinician to keep an eye on these numbers.
Stress relief strategies: It can be difficult to avoid stress in today’s world, but too much stress is bad for the heart (and mind). Try relaxing activities like walking, spending time in nature, meditation, yoga, or hobbies that make you happy.
Control blood pressure: High blood pressure is sneaky (it may cause no symptoms) but dangerous. Regular checkups and a healthy lifestyle can manage or prevent it.
Take care of yourself: Taking care of yourself is so important! Doing things you love and getting support from friends or groups are some of the ways to keep your heart healthy.
Let’s do this together
Taking care of our hearts is something we should all do together. By making these changes, we can live healthier, happier lives. If you would like more information, there are many resources online (hearttruth.gov) or you can talk to your care team at Lowell Community Health Center. Let’s not just think about our heart health in February, but all year long. Your heart does so much for you; It’s time we all took better care of them. Let’s start this journey to a healthier heart together.
Dr. Cara Marshall is the founding director of the Family Medicine Residency Program at Lowell Community Health Center, a primary care family medicine physician and former Family Medicine Educator of the Year by the Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians.
